Faith West went through some growing pains last year.

With a young team, the Eagles won their first two games of the season and stayed competitive in contests throughout but were unable to reach their ultimate goals.

The Eagles went 0-4 in district, but were able to gain valuable experience at the varsity level. This year, under head coach Andrew Garay, Faith West is hoping to build on that this season as they compete in a tough district in 6-man football and try to improve.

Faith West brings back some important players from last year. Max Martinez was a strong player at quarterback in his freshman season and will be counted on to step up as a sophomore, while Guillermo Garcia will join him in the backfield and has big expectations heading into his senior year, and Brayden Dennis will also help out in the backfield entering his sophomore year.

On defense, Michael Mate should be a very strong player for the team at defensive end, while Brayden Cullum, Jacob Massey, Dennis, Wyatt Campbell and Garcia all are expected to contribute on that side of the ball.

Garay has been coaching at Faith West for the past 16 years, leading the junior high program and serving as an assistant for the varsity program, while with the junior high program his team twice won conference championships and went undefeated in both 2014 and 2019, Garay will be hoping to bring that success to the varsity program, which has been strong in the past but hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019.

Six new players join the team this year and the Eagles will be competing in a tough district. The Eagles will compete against Allen Academy, Alpha Omega Academy and Legacy Christian for a spot in the playoffs. It’ll be an exciting year for the Eagles and they are a team to keep your eye on.